INTERVIEW:

Birmingham-- Over the past six years, the number of dollars Alabama spends per student has dropped more than it has in any other state. Percentage-wise, Alabama's decrease (20.1%) was second only to Oklahoma's (22.8%). That's all according to a recent report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. The report says Alabama, Oklahoma, and 32 other states are spending less than they were before the recession that ended in 2009. WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Alabama schools Chief of Staff Craig Pouncey to find out why, and what it all means: